Sticky Situations of Every Sort
by The Doggy Duchess
Summary: A collection of one-shots and drabbles and everything but a full length fanfic with a touch of romance and fluff. Most recent post: Minutes from the Missing Fingers Club II
1. Meet the Little Bear Cub

"Ze'ev, he's a baby, not a bomb."

"I don't want to hurt him, Scarlet."

"You're not going to hurt him."

"I'll crush him. Have you seen my hands?" Wolf shook them for emphasis.

"Nothing is going to happen."

Scarlet settled the mewling bundle of cloth in Wolf's arms. He stiffened as his son wriggled inside the wrap and finally settled with a wrinkly frown. Scarlett laughed at his nervous expression and adjusted the baby in his arms. "Cradle his head and then put a hand right here." She slid one of Wolf's large hands under a wad of cloth just below the baby's back.

"He's so small," Wolf whispered, watching the baby in awe.

"He still needs a name," Scarlett replied, leaning her head on Wolf's shoulder with a weary smile. "I like Ryu."

"No," Wolf murmured, bringing their son to rest between them. "Something else."

"We could name him after your father." Scarlet paused, thinking for a moment. "What about Bear?"

Wolf looked at her curiously. "Why Bear?"

"I think it's cute," Scarlet said defensively. "We've been calling him our little cub since the first sonogram. Our nickname is wolf. Both bears and wolves have cubs. Simple."

The baby let out a hungry growl and both his parents smiled at him. Wolf set him in Scarlet's lap and she scooped him up, settling him against her chest and taking the bottle of formula from Wolf.

"I like it," Wolf said quietly. "Can his middle name be Alpha?"

"Bear Alpha Kesley," Scarlet declared. "I think it sounds perfect." She leaned over and gave him a lingering kiss on his cheek before turning back to their son. To Bear.

"Hi little Bear," Wolf whispered, running a calloused hand over his sparse hair.

Bear continued to suck on the bottle greedily, waving his chubby fists in protest when his mother pulled it away, empty.

"He's got an appetite to match yours. Pass me the other bottle."

Wolf handed over the second bottle the nurse had left them—"Just in case he needs it"— and watched Scarlet gently coax Bear into taking the new bottle. The second he realized it was more food, he made a contented noise and suckled the bottle in earnest. The new parents watched silently as he finished the second bottle and scrunched up his face.

"Why don't you burp him, Z?" Scarlet set the bottle on the table next to the bed and held Bear out to her husband.

Wolf blanched. "Are you sure?" She nodded. "I-I can't, I'll hurt him."

"Are we really back to this again?" She carefully arranged Bear over her shoulder and forcefully tapped his back.

"I don't want to hurt him, Scarlet!"

She paused in her tapping and carefully handed Bear off to Wolf. "Do what I was doing." He stared at her. "Go on, do it."

His motions were stiff, but Wolf managed to put Bear on his shoulder like Scarlet had and gave his back an experimental tap.

"A little harder. You won't get him to burp like that." Scarlet watched Wolf give a better tap, this time accompanied by a small but mighty burp from Bear. "See? You didn't hurt him."

Wolf gave her a toothy smile and continued to burp Bear while Scarlet tapped away on her port, letting the others know that the baby now had a name and sent a picture of Wolf smiling down at Bear and another of him smiling widely at the camera while Bear mewled in his arms.

"Everyone thinks he's the cutest thing since Cinder's tiny foot," Scarlet declared, attempting to take a sleeping Bear from Wolf, who pulled Bear closer and frowned at his wife.

"He's sleeping."

"I know he's sleeping, I just want to hold him, Ze'ev."

"But what if moving him wakes him up?"

She scoffed. "You don't think I can't get him to sleep?"

"Well, I, um… Can I just hold him for a while?"

"Fine. But you have to sit up here with me."

Scarlet moved over on the small hospital bed, and pat the space beside her. Wolf climbed up very slowly and held Bear with one arm and wrapped the other around Scarlet's shoulders. She curled against his side and peered sleepily at Bear. She murmured something incoherently and Wolf heard her breathing become steady. He kissed the top of her head.

"I love you, Scar, and out little cub, too."


	2. No-Longer-Harold

"Winter? Are you in here?" Jacin shut the door behind him with his foot, careful to keep his hold on the box in his hands.

"In the kitchen, Jacin," she called from the back of the house.

They were currently staying in the European Union, outside Andorra Nueva. As ambassadors, they were often on the move, but this time they had rented a villa in the Spanish countryside to finish out the year. Winter liked to think of it as an extended honeymoon, but Jacin had noticed that she had been saddened when her hallucinations had taken longer to stop. She still had one or two a month, usually sudden and sometimes severe, like the one she'd had at dinner at a restaurant in the American Republic Jacin had booked for their anniversary. She had seen Aimery Park clawing his way out of her tomato soup, reaching for her neck. She'd screamed so loud, the wait staff had come in immediately, but only saw Jacin holding a crying Winter and whispering soothing words like he had done so many times.

So Jacin had decided she needed something to focus on.

Hence the box.

Jacin trudged in the kitchen and set the box down on the floor before coming up behind Winter, wrapping his arms around her waist and resting his head on her shoulder while she washed a pot from dinner the night before. She glanced at him and smiled.

"You were up early," she said, scrubbing at a bit of burnt food.

"I went to pick something up for you." Jacin let go of his wife and leaned against the counter. "It's over there by the table."

She blushed. "A gift? For what?"

"For being you." He kissed her cheek, walked over to the box, and kneeled beside it. "Are you going to see what it is or not?"

She laughed and shut off the sink, wiping her wet hands with a towel before sitting gracefully on the floor next to Jacin. "Are you going to open it or not?"

"It's your present, you open it." He leaned back on his hands. "Go ahead, it won't bite. I think."

"What kind of gift might or might not bite me? Is it a-"

The box whimpered and moved. Winter gasped, momentarily shocked, then ripped the lid off. A fuzzy head peeked up over the edge nervously, two cream-colored ears folded back against a sleek black head. It perked up at seeing Winter and jumped up, two front paws catching on the lip of the box and sending both the creature and the box falling onto their sides. It whimpered again and Winter reached gently to cradle the puppy in her lap.

"A puppy, Jacin?" Tears glistened in her eyes.

He leaned over her shoulder to peek at the puppy. "Yes, a puppy. I thought you might want a new friend."

"I-wha-but how did you know I wanted a puppy? I was going to ask you tonight if we could look into finding one." She smoothed the puppy's silky hair and it nuzzled against her skirt.

"Are you serious? You've been looking at pictures of Ryu for hours. I knew you wanted a puppy before _you_ knew you wanted a puppy." He sratched under the puppy's chin. "He still needs a name, you know. I don't think Harold is going to work for me."

"His name is _Harold?_ Why would you get a puppy named Harold?"

"He was the friendliest. Left his mom's side all happy and tried to eat my shoe."

"Are you sure he wasn't just hungry?" Harold slid off Winter's lap and proceeded to sniff around the fridge. "He looks hungry."

"That's why I have food in the podship." Jacin jumped up and headed out for the food.

WInter watched Harold move around the kitchen, tripping over his too-big paws and wagging his tail happily. She patted the floor next to her and he came running over, jumping back into her lap. "You need a new name, puppy-friend."

She looked at his coat. His white ears and underbelly seemed to be the only light parts of him; his face was pure black, his body a slightly different shade of-you guessed it-black, and the tip of his tail seemed to taper off into a small bit of white. He was a big puppy, too, but Winter didn't know what breed he might be. Just then, the door opened and shut and Jacin came back into the kitchen carrying two large bags of large breed puppy food.

"Jacin? What kind of puppy is he?" She scratched behind Harold's ears and was rewarded with a sandpaper tongue licking her face.

"He's a Great Dane." Jacin ripped open one bag and retrieved a bowl from the cabinets.

"So he's a big pup?"

"One of the biggest." A handful of kibble landed in the bowl.

"What about Onyx?"

"Like the color?" A second handful.

"Like the sky from the biodomes on Luna." Winter paused. "No, not Onyx. What about Orion?"

"Like the constellation?"

He set the bowl on the floor and picked Harold up from Winter's lap, setting him down in front of the food. Harold sniffed and tentatively ate a few pieces. Apparently those few pieces convinced him that the kibble was good and he scarfed down the kibble like he'd never eaten.

"Orion was a hunter in old myths. He chased one of the goddesses and she cursed him."

"You want to name a puppy after a cursed hunter?"

"You're right, Orion isn't right. What about Ajax?"

"Like the old soap brand?"

"Not Ajax then."

"What if you named him after Ryu?"

"No, Ryu is is his own wolf. Harold needs to be, well, not Harold."

Jacin sighed and glanced at the bag of dog food. He stood up straighter. "What about Hero?"

Winter smiled. "Hero." She smiled at the puppy. "Come here, Hero!"

No-longer-Harold looked away from his bowl of food and bolted to Winter, tackling her in a flurry of kisses.


	3. Fashion Forward

"Have you seen Levana's new post on Jitterbug?"

"I know what my step-mother is doing without looking on an app, Seleney."

She pulled a face. "You know I don't like being called Selene, Winter."

Winter giggled and pulled a neon orange bag off the shelf in front of her. The two cousins were looking through Selene's-no, Cinder's closet, trying to find something they might want to wear to Scarlet's farewell party. Their rockstar friend was starting her third world tour in two days and their little group of friends had put together a hopefully discreet party to send her off.

"Your mother might be a world-famous designer, Cinder, but her stuff isn't all that great, no offense." Winter put the bag back on the shelf and moved over to the racks of dresses, organized by color, fabric, and pattern. Cinder's design studio might be a mess, but she was picky about her closet.

"Oh I know it isn't, which is why I'm going to start modeling my own designs on my Jitterbug page. The boys have been helping me take some shots." Cinder flicked through a rack of pants and shorts and pulled out a pair of high-waisted shorts with distressed lace dripping off the hem. "What about these with that halter crop top I did last week?"

"The red one or the blue?" Winter held a flowing dress up to herself in front of a floor length mirror.

"The blue one with the chiffon strip down the middle, yeah." Cinder wandered over to the rack of shirts. "With the gold Jimmy Choo's or the silver Zanotti's?"

Winter picked up a silver skirt and headed over to where Cinder stood, examining the shirts. "The gold ones-but only if you wear that turquoise set Kai got you last summer when he came back from filming in Nevada."

Cinder nodded in agreement and went around pulling the pieces of the outfit they had decided on out of their spots. "I would wear the black skirt behind you with the holo top from Armani."

"Oh! With those bright yellow pumps from the Louboutin show at Fashion Week!"

Winter squealed and rushed off to the wall of shoes while Cinder put the skirt back with a chuckle, nearly dropping it when her phone started to ring. She hung up the skirt, set the armful of clothes onto a table in the middle of the room, and answered.

"Cinder? Is that you?" a meek voice asked. "I don't know if I walked into the wrong closet, but there are a lot of spikes and sharp edges and it's kind of scary."

"Cress, walk away from my mother's design vault and press the help button out in the hall," Cinder said.

"Is that a joke or is that the big lamp post looking thing outside?"

"There isn't a help button, just go to your right when you get out of that disaster area and head down the hall until you reach the end. After that, go to your left and go into the room at the end of the hall." Cinder laughed and hung up.

"Who was that?" Winter had changed into her outfit and was now rifling though the drawers of jewelry on the far wall.

"Cress. She got lost in the house again." Cinder slipped behind a rack of dresses and started changing into her clothes. "She should find my room in-"

"Hello? Are you guys in here? Or is this another fashionable, spiky, death room?"

Winter rushed out of the closet and into Cinder's bedroom, coming back with a smiling Cress.

"So what, oh great fashion moguls, am I wearing to Scarlet's party?"

* * *

 **This one ends a bit short, but if you want to read more from this particular series, review JITTERBUG!**

 **Review responses:**

 **LeafiExplorer: Aww, thanks! I'm glad you liked it!**

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 **The Duchess**


	4. The Case of the Missing Empress

Cinder walked up to the gates of the palace, the same ones she had used to return Nainsi to Kai so many years ago, and flashed her wrist over the scanner. It beeped and the guard on her left paled, knowing that the emperor might have his head for not knowing the empress had left the palace.

In the halls, there was a flurry of activity, officials rushing around like-what was the old saying?-chickens without heads. Cinder paused and watched them for a moment then turned on her net link, receiving _three hundred seventy-six_ unread comms from several people, mainly Kai and Iko. What could possibly so important that they had to send her nearly four hundred comms?

A passing official noticed her and gave her a relieved smile. "Your Majesty! You're okay! We've been searching half the country for you! The emperor was very nervous about your, uh, condition."

Cinder furrowed her brows and protectively laid a hand on her somewhat protruding stomach. "Would you mind taking me to him?"

"Of course, Your Majesty," she said and started towards the bank of elevators along one wall.

THey took the elevators up to the conference levels and walked to the government wing of the palace. THe activity seemed to be much more frantic near Kai's study and Cinder pushed through the people and moved to flick her wrist over the scanner, but someone was just leaving, so she slipped inside.

Kai was seated at his desk, surrounded by several invisi-screens. a handful of advisors, and his face was creased with what Cinder thought was unnecessary worry. A screen flashed with an incoming notification and Cinder grew angry.

"Really, Kai? I go for a _walk_ and you send the _navy_ to Australia?" She marched up to his desk and shut off the screens, moving their contents to her retinas and canceling all of Kai's _stupid_ orders to find her. "I told you where I was going and _this_ is how you react when I'm a little late?"

Kai looked ashamed and relieved to see his wife standing in front of him, even if she was angry. "You're three hours late, Cinder, what was I supposed to do?"

"How about not comm me every five minutes so I don't shut off my net link!" Cinder crossed her arms over her chest.

Iko had started ushering people out of the room and spreading the word that the empress had been found.

"I was worried about you, Cinder," Kai said softly.

"I know, but next time, try sending someone to follow my ID chip, because I know you have a team for that."

Kai walked around his desk and pulled Cinder into his arms. "I will neither confirm or deny that," he said, and they both laughed. "I just wanted to make sure you and the baby were okay."

"We're fine, Kai, if anything had happened, I would have told you." Cinder rested her head against his shoulder. "Like how I had a few contractions on my way back."

"What?"

* * *

 **Review EMPRESS if you want to see some more quirky Kaider!**

 **XO,**

 **The Duchess**


	5. The Prank War

It started when Thorne put a whoopie cushion on Scarlet's chair on a delivery run to South America. She sat down to eat and was thoroughly surprised when a less than lady-like sound rang out in the galley. Thorne, on the other hand, burst into laughter; he nearly fell out of his own chair in his amusement.

Cress and Wolf were confused. She, while Scarlet turned as red as her hair, leaned over to her Lunar companion and asked, "Is this normal?"

Then Scarlet lunged for Thorne and Wolf had to restrain her while Cress ushered Thorne back to their room and locked him in there until Scarlet calmed down.

Scarlet retaliated by putting dye in Thorne's special hair gel. His hair was green for _weeks_ , and almost all of the government officials turned to her for instructions on administering the antidote instead of asking Thorne.

Cress, of course, told Thorne the green complimented his blue eyes.

Thorne had seethed to her for nearly two weeks about how, as soon as his hair wasn't green anymore, he would do _something_ to get her back.

Apparently, 'getting her back' was put into motion by convincing Wolf that Earthens celebrate holidays by ignoring each other for the days before the holiday. Scarlet was _livid_ when Wolf didn't speak to her the three days before Valentine's Day, something she took very seriously because, for the first time _ever_ , she had a boyfriend to celebrate it with. When Wolf confessed to her that Thorne, who also spoke to Cress as little as possible during those three days before Valentine's Day to make sure the idea stuck in Wolf's head, had told him that, she locked him in the cargo bay with nothing but a towel.

Back and forth it went, for _years_ , until Cress and Wolf finally decided enough was enough.

Cress and Thorne had come to the farm to visit Bear and deliver a few trinkets from their various adventures around the world, and Thorne had put dye in Scarlet's toothpaste, turning her teeth bright purple (he was kind enough to put all-natural blackberry dye), and Wolf had had to suffer through three days of complaining, furious teeth-brushing, and Bear being terrified that his mother had been replaced by a monster.

Wolf had sent Bear to spend the weekend at Emilie's without Scarlet's knowledge—something he was sure he'd suffer for later on—and had set up the lab under the hanger for the plan while Cress distracted Scarlet and Thorne on a trip through town. When they returned, Cress said she was going to spend some time talking to her Lunar friend and took one of the things she had picked up in a joke shop—fake blood.

Yes, it was extreme, but talking to their spouses hadn't resolved anything, so the Lunar duo was going to scare some sense into them.

Hours later, while Scarlet was preparing dinner, wondering where her son and husband were, and Thorne was going over bank statements for the Kelsey-Benoit family, they heard a piercing shriek. Both of them bolted to the hangar, coming face to face with a messy scene.

Blood painted the pristine floors red, pooling under Cress' body where it lay face down at Wolf's feet. He looked depraved, manic. His lips were pulled back in a fierce snarl, his chest heaving wth every breath he took, muscles tensed.

Scarlet ripped out her gun, aiming it at her husband, while Thorne screamed and bolted to Cress' side. He ran his hands along her body, feeling for a wound. Scarlet inched closer to Wolf, not flinching when he growled at her.

"Wolf, Ze'ev, it's me. It's Scarlet." She took another slow step forward. "Babe, I need you to calm down."

He pinned his angry gaze on Scarlet and lunged, pinning her arms and knocking her gun from her grip. His chest was moving rhythmically and it took a moment for Scarlet and Thorne to realize that both their spouses were laughing.

"Are you _kidding me_ , Cress?" Thorne shouted. "This was a _prank?_ "

"Not so fun to have us team up on you, huh, Captain?" Cress sat up, wiping off slimy fake blood, and sharing a conspiratorial smile with Wolf.

Wolf kissed the top of Scarlet's head. "We were trying to make a point."

"Of what?" Scarlet squirmed in his arms.

"Your little prank war," Cress said, wiping more blood off her face with a towel. "It's gotten really out of hand, you two."

"So you faked a _murder_?" Thorne gaped at her. "I didn't think you had it in you, Cress. There's not an evil bone in your body!"

Wolf chuckled. "She planned the whole thing. You really shouldn't let her watch horror movies."


	6. Fashion Forward: The Sequel

"Are you sure this isn't too short?" Cress tugged her skirt down.

"I'm _positive_ it isn't too short and you're just being your conservative, paranoid self," Cinder replied, pulling the skirt back up to Cress' waist and wrapping a chunky belt around the top of it.

"Cress-friend, you look hotter than the sun-and the sun is very, _very_ hot, you know." Winter held up a pair of silver earrings to Cress' blue shirt and nodded slightly. "Put these on, and Thorne will never be able to resist you."

Cress blushed furiously. "I-what-no! I don't like Th-Carswell, he's a jerk!"

"Who makes you turn into a suttering, flushed mess whenever he's even _mentioned_. You have it bad, sister." Cinder handed her a pair of flashy espadrilles and gestured for her to put them on. "We're going to be late if you take much longer, you know."

She paled at the thought. "We can't be _late_ , we're the ones hosting the party! Wait-what if we are late? What if Wolf brings Scarlet to Luna's before we're done setting up? Do you think the boys have it handled? Maybe I should call Kai and check." She reached for her purse but Cinder snatched it up.

"Iko is there taking care of everything. I called ahead to check," Cinder reassured her. "Now put on these shoes so we can head over to help set up."

Once Cress had finished dressing, the three friends headed over to Luna's, their favorite undercover hangout. Not many people new about it, which was perfect for a group of teenage celebrities trying to get away from fans and the stalkerazzi. Kai, Jacin, and Thorne were there hanging a banner that said "Bon Voyage, Scarlet" in bright red block letters under Iko's direction.

"Jacin, I don't care if your arms are tired, put it a little higher on your side!"

This was followed by angry muttering and a swoosh of paper. "There. Are you happy, O Insane One?"

"I'm not insane, you're just lazy. Here I was thinking a superhero with _big strong muscles_ would actually want to help send his friend off the right way." Iko didn't look up while checked off something on her tablet when Cinder, Cress, and Winter walked in. "You three can start setting up the food. Thorne, you help Cress bring out the cake. Kai and Jacin can finish hanging the banner."

Cress blushed and Thorne waved her into the kitchen with a grin. Winter blew a kiss to Jacin who shook his head with a smile and taped up the banner while Kai held the other end, failing to furtively glance at Cinder while she started pouring out bowls of pretzels and chips. Jacin smirked at him and made a kissy face. Kai flipped him off and taped up his side of the banner, jumping off the table when he was done and heading over to help Cinder.

"Jacin, can you help me with the drinks? They're a little heavy," Winter called.

Jacin jumped down from his perch on the table and helped heave gallon jugs of fruit punch and soda onto the drinks table. Winter smiled and thanked him with a kiss on his cheek.

Back in the kitchen, Thorne was trying to convince Cress to help him play a prank on Iko.

"I'm telling you, Cress, it'll be hysterical!"

"The only thing hysterical about the situation will be when Iko kicks you down a peg," Cress retorted uncharacteristically, making Thorne balk for minute, nearly dropping the cake. "Careful! Everyone will _kill you_ if you drop that cake."

"Even you?" Thorne flashed her a smile and she nearly melted.

 _Stupid feelings._

Cress blushed and marched out of the kitchen with two platters of desserts, Thorne on her heels with the cake. Iko wordlessly directed them to a central table with space for the cake and the desserts. While Thorne put down the cake, Cress shamelessly watched the muscles in his arms move. Iko snickered behind her and she nearly dropped the platters.

"Iko! Why would you scare me like that!" Cress set the trays down and turned to her quirky friend.

"I didn't scare you, I was coming over to tell you that everyone's done and Wolf is bringing Scarlet over now." Iko laughed at the blush spreading across her friend's pale cheeks.

"Oh."

"I'm going to get a drink," Thorne announced and headed to the bar, oblivious to everything that had just happened—except for the part where Cress was checking him out. He totally flexed a little more for her.

Cress stared at his backside, practically drooling over the way he filled out his suit, and didn't notice Scarlet walking in the door with her boyfriend until she waved a hand in front of Cress' face.

"Hello? Earth to hair lady? Come in, hair lady," Scarlet joked, wrapping her tiny friend up in her arms. Getting untangled from Cress was a bit more difficult with the knee-length blond hair sprouting from her head and all of Scarlet's spiky accessories. "Are you done staring at your man or should I strip to get your attention?"

"Scarlet!" Cress scolded. "Don't talk like that!"

Her cheeks matched the color of Scarlet's hair.

"I'm just telling the truth, Rapunzel, you've got a thing for our dear Captain." Scarlet untangled herself from Iko, who frowned at her friend's ensemble. "Don't you agree Iko?"

"We've known that for ages. I do, however, agree that your outfit is ridiculous and you should open my present for you and change into something you _like_ ," Iko said, pushing her towards a table with several bags and wrapped boxes.

"Did you get me the gunslinger outfit I showed you last week?" A hint of a southern drawl slipped into Scarlet's voice, the only evidence of her life as a farm girl. "Because if that's what's in the bag, I'll take it."

"Plus a plush gun toy and a matching shoulder holster."

Scarlet eagerly picked up the bag with 'Love, Iko' scrawled across one glitzy side. "Thank you, Iko."

"Yeah, yeah, go change." Iko turned back to Cress. "You need to go get a drink."

"What? I'm not thirsty, Iko," Cress replied, confused.

"Quick, laugh," Iko instructed, glancing over her shoulder.

"Iko, you're being weirder than usual."

'Just do it!"

Cress giggled loudly like her character in _Twisted Tales_ , Tallulah St. Clair, and looked worriedly at Iko. "Are you sure you're feeling okay?" she whispered.

"Are you not feeling well, Iko?"

Cress jumped. "Is everyone trying to scare me?"

Cinder put her hands up. "I was not intentionally trying to scare you, you're just an easy scare, Cress."

"That's what I told her earlier, but _no_ , she didn't believe me." Iko turned to the table behind her and picked up a cupcake, ripping off the bottom half and putting it on top of the frosting. "Then I told her to stop staring at Thorne's perfectly sculpted butt."

"You're back to staring at him again, Cress? I thought you said you wouldn't pay attention to him unless he spoke to you." Cinder swiped some frosting off Iko's cupcake.

"Get your own!" Iko snatched her cupcake back. "That's what I thought too! But there she was, staring at his butt—although, it _is_ a really cute butt."

Scarlet reappeared in a pair of denim cutoffs and a graphic tee with a cartoon lasso across the front. "Who's but are we talking about?"

"Is this about Cress and Thorne?" Winter approached with a swish of her skirt. "Are we trying to convince her to make her move?"

"What is it with you people and my love life? Can't I just find a date my way?" Cress fiddled with her rings.

The unanimous reply was resounding " _NO!_ "

* * *

 **I am currently working on some more quirky Kaider, as per the one reviewer who wanted some more—thanks for that hype by the way, it made my day :)**

 **And I'm thinking about making a part 3 for my Fashion Forward series. Yes, No, Maybe?**

 **Also, total shout-out to LeafiExplorer for always leaving a positive review on here every time I put a new chapter, you are _so sweet_ , I love it!**

 **-The Duchess**

 **Review CUPCAKE if you want a third installment of Fashion Forward!**


	7. Nanny or Not

"—would be good for the both of u—"

A small cry erupted from the nursery attached to their rooms. Cinder wriggled out of Kai's grip and hurried in. The pale pink room was painted with peony bushes at waist height, their petals ranging from cream to deep magenta to pale purple. Liliana's crib was set against the wall under a painting of Artemisia's skyline, the edges dripping into the night sky as seen from the domed city.

Liliana was waving her little fists in the air, her face scrunched as she wailed. Cinder picked her up and cradled the baby against her chest, giving Kai a tired smile. She hummed softly to quiet her fussy little girl, who slowly stopped crying and looked over her mother's shoulder at her father. Kai made a funny face and made Liliana smile, whacking a small fist on her mother's shoulder. He came closer and tickled her pudgy neck. She was only a month and a half old, but already she was spoiled rotten by her parents and all her aunts and uncles.

Everyone agreed that Her Royal Highness Liliana Peony Asami of the Eastern Commonwealth was the perfect blend of her parents. Her tanned skin matched Cinder's while her brown eyes were as dark as her dad's and her head full of curls lingered somewhere between her mother's mousy brown and her father's jet black.

Cinder settled her into sleep and placed her back in the crib, carefully closing the door behind them both.

"Cinder—"

"Kai, we're not talking about this anymore. I don't want one, so we're not going to have one."

"But Cinder, it would be a good thing. We could have a few hours to ourselves and be back for bedtime or whatever it's called now." 

"Bedtime. It's always been bedtime, it's always going to be bedtime." She put her hands on her hips. "I'm not arguing with you about this."

"We _have_ to talk about this, Cinder," Kai pleaded, ready to get on his knees and _beg_ if it came down to it.

"We are _not_ getting a _nanny_ to raise our child! I don't care if we're royal or not!" She eyed the door to the nursery. Maybe the baby would cry and get her out of this mess.

"I was raised with a nanny!" Kai defended.

Still no crying.

"And look where it got you! Married to a cyborg Lunar princess who started a revolution to get her throne back!" She sighed.

"And that's why I love you," Kai said, wrapping her up in his arms and kissing the top of her head. "Why don't we get a nanny part-time? Then we could both get work done without worrying about Liliana."

Cinder sunk into the embrace. "No."

"Why not? What's really bothering you about a nanny, Cinder?" He knew it wasn't just the idea of a stranger raising their little girl.

Cinder felt her mouth go dry, tasting ash and feeling flames lick her skin. She squeezed her eyes shut.

"The fire," she whispered. "The one on Luna. Levana convinced my nanny to set it."

Kai hugged her tighter. "Then we won't get a nanny that can be manipulated."

"What about an android? They can't be manipulated and they can be programmed with our voices," Cinder looked up at him.

"What about Iko? She already loves Liliana, and she's an android."

"She has a job, Kai."

"As your stylist."

"So?"

"I think she could be your stylist and Lili's nanny. And you trust her." He kissed her head again. "She fits the bill."

Cinder sighed. "To nanny, or not to nanny. That is the question."


	8. Fashion Forward: The End

Everyone was in love with Hollywood's biggest player. Everyone except for Cress. She always turned away after he introduced her to his latest date. And for some reason, it hurt. So what had he done to Cress to make it hurt so much? Because _everyone_ was supposed to love him.

Why would Cress be any different?

Why did he _want_ her to be different?

He watched her from across the room, laughing and talking to Iko. She looked amazing in her backless top and high-waisted skirt, which he only knew because when you hung around models as often as he did, you learned a thing or two about fashion. He had a feeling she didn't pick the outfit—she probably would've chosen a long, flowing dress without sleeves in some cute patterned fabric.

Not that he knew what she would pick or anything like that.

Thorne took a sip of his drink and flagged the bartender down for another one. Cress giggled loudly and Thorne flinched at the noise, wishing he had been the one to get her to make it. Kai reappeared on Thorne's left, his hair slightly mussed and a smudge of pinkish-brown lipstick on his cheek.

"You get busy with Cinder?"

Thorne laughed when Kai blushed furiously.

"Where's the evidence, Thorne?" He scrubbed at his face with the side of his hand.

"Left cheek, pretty pink lipstick. Must have been one hell of a kiss, Your Highness," Thorne said sarcastically.

"Funny." He rubbed away the smudge. "Is it gone now?"

"You got it." Thorne took another sip of his whiskey.

Kai ordered a drink and glanced at his friend. "What's messing with you, Cap?"

"Nothing." He said it too quickly; Kai's interest piqued.

"You're lying."

"Nope."

"What is it? A job? A girl? A—"

Thorne shifted uncomfortably.

"A girl? Really? A _girl_ is messing with Hollywood's biggest playboy?" Kai laughed hysterically.

"Shut up, Princey," Thorne growled.

"So? Who is it?" Kai grinned at his friend, looking around the room. "Winter?"

Thorne gave no sign.

"Scarlet?"

Nothing.

"Cinder?"

Not even a twitch of the eye.

"Cress?"

His finger fidgeted with the straw in his glass.

"Cress? Seriously?" Kai shook his head. "It took you _this long_ to figure out you liked her?"

Thorne turned to him. "What do you mean 'figure it out?'"

"The rest of us have seen the way you two are with each other. Even _fans_ see it. It's as obvious as the moon in the freaking sky!" Kai took a long sip of his drink.

"What about Cress? Do you think she likes me?" Thorne watched at the woman in question longingly before Kai swatted his gaze away.

"Keep staring and you'll see Wolf and Scarlet swapping spit in a few seconds." Kai made a face. "Cress likes you, Cap, has for a really long time. The girls kept it pretty secret for a while but Wolf picked up on it instantly and then the rest of us knew." Kai shrugged. "I thought your little stunt with all those girls might have been to get her attention. If anything, she seems a little less interested than she used to."

"What?" Thorne paled a little.

"At one point, all she would do was stare at you when she wasn't talking to someone. She hasn't done it in a while, and she's stopped paying as much attention to you in general, I guess."

"So you think she doesn't like me as much?" He flagged down another drink and glanced at his friend—"Kai? Where'd you go?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Captain, were you looking for Kai?" Cress' sweet voice floated to him from his other side, where she was perched precariously on a bar stool. "Could I have a Shirley Temple please, Roxy?"

"Sure thing, Rapunzel." The bartender winked at Cress and moved quickly around the bar to fix her drink.

"Shit," Thorne muttered under his breath before regaining himself. "Nope, just thought he was still sitting next to me."

"Oh, okay," she said quietly, flashing Roxy a small smile when she slid Cress' drink across the table.

"How's set life?" he asked, trying to make small talk.

Cress shrugged and took a sip of her drink. "The same as it always is. Work, eat bland food from crafts, work some more, sleep for an hour between shoots." She glanced at his lips. "What about you?"

"Between movies at the moment, so I'm about to head off for the _Flight Academy_ publicity tour," he answered, flagging Roxy down for another drink.

Cress watched her pour something alcoholic and hand it to Thorne with a grimace. "Um, Roxy? Could I have a glass of whiskey too?"

Thorne glanced at her, concerned about whether she'd be able to handle whiskey without getting, well, _drunk_. "Put it on the rocks."

The bartender slid the drink to Cress and watched her take a experimental sip. Cress liked the taste, but not the way it burned down her throat. So she took a longer sip, feeling fuzzy around the edges.

"You know, Captain, this isn't that bad," she slurred as she sipped her second glass.

"And you've had enough, feather-weight," he said, taking her drink away. "I really think—"

"Cress," Iko called across the room, "could you and Thorne get the extra boxes of cupcakes?" She glared at Cinder. " _Someone_ keeps stealing mine."

"Okay!" Cress answered happily, stumbling off her bar stool and heading for the kitchen, Thorne followed on her heels, making sure she didn't fall over.

In the kitchen, Cress stood out from all the stainless steel in her bright outfit as she headed for the two boxes of cupcakes. She turned around, coming face-to-clavicle with Thorne.

"Thorne?" she said quietly. "Why do you go through women like they're tissues?"

He held tightly onto her elbows, hoping she wouldn't lose her balance in her heels. "I don't know. Why are you asking?"

"I want to know if you'd do it to me." She peered up from half-lidded eyes at him. "Would you?"

"No, Cress, I wouldn't."

"Good." She took a deep breath. "I—"

"Go out with me, Cress." It was a random thought that tumbled from his lips before he could take it back. "Answer that when you're sober."

"I am sober." She glanced at his lips again. "And I'd love to go out with you, Carswell."

She tugged his head down and placed a gentle kiss on his lips before taking a box of cupcakes and leaving.

Thorne didn't notice until she was walking out of the kitchen that her steps had straightened out and didn't falter once.

She was a _very_ good actress.

* * *

 **Originally the idea was that Cress got a little tipsy and therefore a little bold, but I thought it would be a bit more fun to have the girls plan something for Cress to do and put her fabulous acting skills to use.**

 **Hope y'all enjoyed :)**

 **-The Duchess**

 **Want to see more Cresswell?**

 **Review CAPTAIN for more!**


	9. Sister, Sister

"How are we going to tell him?"

"I don't know, you figure something out!"

"Scar, I have no idea how to handle this!"

She sighed. "I know, I know, I'm just stressed. I mean, we're going to have another baby, how's Bear going to feel about that?"

Wolf hugged her tight. "I'm sure he'll get used to the idea." He kissed the top of her curly hair. "We'll tell him together."

"You know, he's going to eventually ask how it happened," Scarlet told him, trying to hide her grin as Wolf stilled and paled.

"You can answer those questions, love." Wolf gave her hair another kiss.

"Momma?" Their bedroom door creaked open, revealing Bear in his dino pajamas dragging his favorite fuzzy blanket. "I had ni'mare."

Scarlet opened her arms from where she lay on her side, snuggled in Wolf's arms. Bear gave her a shy grin, revealing a row of slightly pointed teeth, and ran into her embrace. Deftly, he slipped under the covers and hugged his mother tight. She smiled at him and smoothed his curly hair.

"Might as well tell him, Ze'ev," she murmured quietly. He would hear her, and so would Bear, but that was okay.

"Tell me wha', Momma?" He peeked up at her with his big green eyes.

"You know how Aunt Winter has Juniper and Ajax?"

"Yeah. Are we gonna go play with them?"

"Not today, baby, but you're going to have a little brother or sister to play with soon." She really hoped Bear would take this well.

The room was silent except for the sound of their breathing.

"Really?" Bear asked.

"Yes, bud, really," Wolf answered, hugging Scarlet to his side, one wide hand settling on her stomach.

Just from the sound of his voice, she knew he was smiling.

"When is she getting here?" Bear sat up and started to play with one of his mother's curls.

"Around Christmas," Scarlet replied, tapping the end of his nose. "And we don't know if the baby is a girl yet."

"She's a girl," he replied confidently. "I want her to be a girl."

"Whatever you say, Bear," Wolf replied.

"Can her name be Cub? So that I'm Bear and she's Cub?"

" _No!_ " Scarlet exclaimed.

Bear stopped twirling the curl. "Oh," he said quietly. "Can her name be Red?"

"How bout you let Daddy and I pick out her name?" Scarlet leaned up to kiss his cheek. "For now, let's all go to sleep."

* * *

Seven months later, on Christmas Eve, Bear got _two_ little sisters: Lark Alethea Kelsey and Wren Athena Kesley.

* * *

 **I know, I know, it's been forever and a year since I updated, so I thought maybe some Wolflet would cheer y'all up. ;)**

 **I'm thinking about doing a funny little Kaider AU where _someone_ gets their wisdom teeth pulled out, and their lovely S.O. records the wacky things they say under anesthesia.**

 **Also, did anyone notice the theme in the names?** **It was totally intentional, because themed names are incredibly entertaining to me.**

 **If you see it, or you want to see the aforementioned Kaider AU, review PACK!**

 **I'll post the answer (and the wonderful people who guessed it right) in the next chapter!**

 **XO,**

 **The Duchess**


	10. Minutes from the Missing Fingers Club I

The following is a transcription of the first meeting of the MFC:

C: I'm recording, so let's get this ridiculous idea of yours moving, Thorne.

T: Really Cinder? My ridiculous idea? I'll have you know this idea of mine will at least bring us all together so we don't become _strangers_.

S: We won't become strangers, we'll just stop talking to each other and be polite at events we all get invited too.

T: That's what I'm trying to avoid!

C: Okay, fine, it's not a ridiculous idea. What's this supposed to be called again?

T: The Missing Finger Club.

[Pause]

C: [laughing]

S: That's what you were talking about on Luna! [laughs]

T: It's genius! And no one else can join!

C: I hate to break it to you, but there are plenty of people missing fingers.

S: I have friends who don't have fingers.

T: Oh really? How many?

S: Two.

T: You don't have other friends!

C: Thorne, she means us.

T: Oh.

S: Moving on, what are we supposed to do to start this meeting?

C: Yeah. This is your idea, so you better take charge.

T: Well first we hold up our rights hands and swear to honor the Missing Fingers Club until the day we die.

S: I'm not doing that.

C: It's frowned up to swear as an empress.

S: [whispers] Is it really?

C: [whispers] No.

T: Fine. We high five or something.

S: We're not ten year-old boys.

T: Then one of you come up with something!

C: Maybe we just say 'This meeting of the Missing Fingers Club is now called to order.' That's what most secret societies or clubs start with according my net search.

T: This meeting of the Missing Fingers Club is now called to order.

[Pause]

S: Now what? What are we supposed to talk about?

T: Our fingers?

C: I'm missing an entire leg and half an arm. It's really not just my fingers.

T: The prosthetics?

S: Mine aren't in yet.

C: Did you check the shipping tracker? Mine said they were arriving late but ended up at the palace three weeks early. The location tracker wasn't off, just the shipping date was.

T: You're an empress! People need to check your stuff for explosives.

C: Good point.

T: I don't have fingers to point with!

S, C, T: [laughs]

* * *

 **I hope you liked this chapter! I've had a bit of trouble finding good inspiration for some new drabbles and flash fics, but then I reread the series and the whole Missing Finger Club made me laugh.**

 **Review MFC if you enjoyed and want more from the Missing Fingers Club!**

 **Review MINUTES if you want a new Kaider au!**

 **-The Duchess**


	11. Baby Steps

Scarlet kissed Wolf on the lips before turning to a wrinkled Bear, squirming in his father's huge hands.

"I'm gonna miss you, cub," she said, tickling his plump, pink cheeks. "You be nice for your daddy."

He babbled back to her and stuffed a fist in his mouth in reply.

"I'll see you Sunday, babe," Scarlet said over her shoulder as she hopped into the waiting hover car.

Wolf pasted a smile on his face and nervously shifted Bear from one arm to the other, trying to get him to wave. No such luck. Bear's face twisted in confusion as the car floated away and he burst into tears.

"Shh," Wolf said, bouncing him like he'd seen Scarlet do when he cried like this. This weekend wasn't going well and he'd only been alone with Bear for two seconds.

It took a few minutes and a couple of toys, but Wolf got Bear to quiet down and chew on a stuffed animal. What was he supposed to do with a ten month old infant for two days? And how was he going to finish the chores he had left? Wolf glanced at the baby carrier in the corner, piled with all the other things he always saw Scarlet using.

He didn't know how Scarlet did the whole mom thing so _well_. Bear never got fussy with her. It was like the second Bear realized it was Wolf taking caring of him and not Scarlet he started crying.

"Da," Bear said shoving the stuffed dog in Wolf's direction.

Wolf smiled and accepted the offering, dancing it around Bear's head and enjoying the way his son giggled. Bear reached for the dog again and took it back, waving it around in his fist.

"What are we going to do today, Bear?"

Bear gurgled and smiled up at Wolf.

He looked at the carrier again. He had things to do around the farm before Scarlet got back, and it would most likely be the only way to keep an eye on Bear while finishing up the work.

Behind him was a sudden happy giggle. Wolf whirled around. Bear peered up at him, standing up with the dog toy in his hands. He waved and gave Wolf another smile, then took a few tentative steps toward him. He started to wobble.

"Ha! Bear, you're walking!" Wolf picked up his son and spun him around the room. "Yes!"

* * *

Two days later, upon Scarlet's return, Bear stumbled across the yard and into his mother's happy arms to greet her and babble nonsensically about da-da and pup-pup. She gave him a big kiss on the head and looked at Wolf.

"You kept him alive, didn't call me, and now he's walking?" She walked over, Bear on her hip, and kissed his cheek. "Nice work, Ze'ev."

* * *

 **You GUYS!**

 **I'm _BACK_!**

 **Kind of.**

 **It's been a hot minute, hasn't it.**

 ***hides behind Wolf***

 **Anyways, so here we have this really cutesy Wolflet snippet, mainly because I just like the idea of Scarlet and Wolf and little baby Bear (ha) and their funky little family.**

 **As promised, the next chapter will be... (drumroll please, Bear) Kaider! I'd like to post either a cute little Kaider family thing or something funny with Iko so you guys get to decide!**

 **Review with IKO for the funny little thing or CROWN for a cute Kaider family scene!**

 **In the mean time, I'll post the next part of Minutes From the Missing Fingers Club on January 17th at 10:00 AM EST as I attempt to work out an update schedule for the two stories I'm actively trying to update and a third I plan on publishing in the future-Check out Chapter 9 of In Memorium, my Jason Grace Tribute Collection for more details!**

 **See y'all on the flip side! ;)**

 **The Duchess**


	12. Minutes from the Missing Fingers Club II

[Begin Transcription]

T: This meeting of the Missing Fingers Club is now called to order! All rise and honor your leader-

C: I'm not getting up, Thorne.

S: Tired?

C: No, my back just hurts.

S: Why?

C: Lilliana thought it would be fun to play hide and seek without telling anyone, so Kai and I spent _three hours_ crawling around the residential wing of the palace trying to find her.

T: Did you?

S: You saw Lilliana twenty minutes ago, Thorne, what do you think?

T: Right. I forgot.

S: So? Where was she?

C: She was asleep. Under her bed.

T: Wait did you not use her ID chip?

C: She convinced Nainsi to block the signal.

[S Laughs]

S: Bear once thought it would be _great_ to hide with the pigs, because Ze'ev always complains about how bad they smell, but he forgot about how mean they are if you don't bring food. Even I heard him crying, and I was in the house!

T: Carter... isn't there yet.

[Pause]

S: Who's Carter?

T: Ah, that's what the meeting is about! But this was.. fun?

C: But who's Carter?

T: Well, you see, Cress is-

S: Oh my stars! You're having a baby!

C: Thorne! That's amazing!

S: Wait, why are you just telling us?

T: Cress already told everyone else. I wanted to tell my fellow missing fingers the news myself.

[End transcription]

* * *

 **Hello folks!**

 **I updated early :)**

 **I'm an impatient human being and this has been done for a week, so I figured you all deserved a treat for just being awesome and getting Sticky Situations to 6,000+ views (So excited to see that today when I checked!)**

 **You guys are all so amazing and sweet! Thank you for all the kind reviews and the excitement. I'm glad my little snippets make you all happy (^_^)**

 **And since I'm updating early, I decided to tell you guys that the next chapter will be... a Kaider family fic! It's going to be a song fic—which is a first for me so I'm kind of excited. If you want to really know the song before the chapter is out, review songbird! You need to have an account on Fanfic (this site) in order for me to be able to PM the song to you so you can get a feel for the mood and inspiration for the au song fic. This is basically just me hiding the secret little review word from the skimmers who won't read this entire note and are just looking for the main review word. Hehehe... To those of you that actually read these crazy little author's notes, thank you. You're all awesome and amazing and very, very patient.**

 **I've decided to take a page from one of my favorite FF author's book (ha) and reply to the reviews!**

 **The author is lovewords, but I haven't seen anything new from her in a while :(**

 **ANYWAYS!**

 **REPLIES!**

 **GUEST: I love writing cute Kaider family things so I guess you'll get your wish ;)**

 **CANADIAN BACON UNICORN: First of all, I _love_ you pen name because two of my favorite things: Bacon and Unicorns. Canada is awesome (I haven't been yet, but I'm looking forward to going sometime soon!) (Also, I'm totally slacking off writing, but I have so many half-finished chapters for this story that I think deserved to be finished so that's where I'm at now *shrugs* Something new will come along soon ;) )**

 **I'm going to reply to all your review from now on, so be sure to leave one!**

 **That's all, folks!**

 **The Duchess**

 **Review MONKEY if you're excited about seeing Kai and Cinder's monkey in action! ;)**


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